"I didn't expect to be a starter [for the Utah Jazz]."
And yet Raja Bell has started all but a single game to date that he's played in, 60 of 61.
Scroll back through the pages of this particular blog and you'll find it at the forefront of the Bench Bell Brigade for some months now.
And for good reason.
Bell has inexplicably played far more minutes in his second stint for the Jazz than he should have for a guy that's been nothing more than a career role player in the best of times. In fact, his minutes have risen all year long to where he's now playing nearly 35 per-game. That's more minutes than starting shooting guards Kobe Bryant, Wesley Matthews, Kevin Martin, and Jason Richardson play.
And there's no need for this.
Over the last three games head coach Ty Corbin has fielded a three-guard lineup that puts Bell at the small forward position. He's not a good SG, let alone a SF.
Before you start in on me as a hater, I've praised Raja when he was good, but refuse to blindly drink Kool-Aid when he's been bad.
And he's been really bad.
Coming into it's March 14 game against the Philadelphia 76ers Bell was questionable with a tweaked pinkie toe. As a result CJ Miles was inserted into the starting lineup in his stead, a position that Miles' best numbers assert themselves in.
And yet Bell still played 36 minutes.
In the five games before Philly Bell gave up:
22 points and 3-6 from 3 to Sacramento's Marcus Thornton in 40 minutes
29 points and 7-11 from 3 to New York's Toney Douglas and Roger Mason in 32 minutes
33 points and 2-3 from 3 to Toronto's DeMar DeRozan and Sonny Weems in 45 minutes
19 points and 3-4 from 3 to Minnesota's Wesley Johnson and Wayne Ellington in 21 minutes
26 points and 6-10 from 3 to Chicago's Keith Bogans and Kyle Korver in 37 minutes
That's 26 PPG and 62% from 3 given up to Bell's man, or more points than league-leading shooting guard scorer Dwyane Wade and 12% more than league-leading 3-point shooter Matt Bonner makes.
Against historic 3-point shooter Kyle Korver, Bell played three feet off him, daring him to shoot. And Korver made him pay. Then against career .327 3-point shooter, Lou Williams of the 76ers, Bell crowds him on the perimeter and gets burned.
And nearly single-handedly choked away a 21-point lead.
At the 3:12 mark of the 3rd quarter Raja Bell checked into a game against Philly in which the Jazz had a 13 point lead.
With CJ Miles starting the Jazz jumped out to an 18 point halftime lead, a smart strategy. As I've said for weeks now, "would you rather start out from ahead and have to hold a lead, or repeatedly have to play from behind by starting Bell?" It's a no-brainer.
When Bell checked into the game he was charged with covering Philadelphia's Lou Williams, who had four points up to that point. Bell would play the remainder, giving up 18 points and 53% from the floor to Williams the rest of the way. The Jazz would be outscored 41-28 and be forced to gut one out in overtime from the time that Bell checked in on.
Jazz up 18 at the half. Bell gives up 18 points to Lou Williams in the 2nd half and finish the game all square. Hmmmm...
It's not enough that Bell may not be starting anymore; he's still playing too many minutes, giving up too many plays to the opposition. He hasn't come to terms with the fact that his game is fast deteriorating, recently quipping that he believes he "can still play the game at a high level."
No, Raja, you can't. You need to adjust your game accordingly, stop the denial. It's killing your team. Be a real leader, step aside for the greater good.
Finally we find Utah on the list for the SG position, 28th of 30 teams in the NBA, with a season-long -5.5 in efficiency differential, thanks largely to a player whose time has passed, who was never a primary player in the first place, and has been riding the rep of a single clothesline for years now.
"Minus 5.5 points," you say? "That's not so bad," you say?
Consider this: Over the course of 61 games, in which Bell has played starter's minutes, that's minus 335.5 points.
I implore you, Ty Corbin, Jazz brass, et al, play Raja Bell less. A lot less.
There's still time. But the bell tolls for thee, Utah, if you continue to lean on this career role player so heavily.
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It's that time of year again. The Utah Jazz Blog presents the second annual NCAA Bracket Contest.
First Place- 2 lower bowl seats to a regular season Jazz game
Second Place- A Utah Jazz Jersey of your choice.
Third Place- 2 Upper bowl seats to a regular season Jazz game.
Fourth Place- A Jazz hat of your choice.
HERE IS THE LINK TO SIGN UP
Password is utahjazz all lower case.
Deadline is Thursday before the first game.
If you live out of state we can figure out an equivalent prize.
Locked on Sports Interview with Raja Bell, A great interview but the problem I have with this interview is-- that Locke has been ripping Bell a new butthole on the air for the past week or so, and then he is sitting on a his lap in an interview. Anyway it is a good interview and Locke touches on some good points with Raja. It also sounds like Raja knows that he is sucking hardcore.
Shorthanded Jazz could use another win tonight. Jody Genessy
Jazz-Timberwolves Preview CBSSPORTS
Jefferson faces formers team- Examiner I really love watching Al play against Kevin Love. They play/practiced against each other a ton and know each other's moves. I think this matchup will be a bit different because Al is in BEASTMODE.
Raja Bell taking holding himself and the team responsible. Brian T Smith. As much as I like this article I think Corbin needs to switch things up.
Buzzer Beater win puts bounce in Utah's step. Brian T Smith
Millsap and AK are GTD- SLCTRIB
Al Jefferson's in-season improvement. Salt City Hoops
While you were sleeping with some fun stuff from CJ's twitter attackers. SLCDUNK
Mostly Minutes Odds and Ends. Jazz Fanatical
Utah Jazz the Deron Williams Deal was Great- Bleacher Report
Al Jefferson game winner against Toronto
Big Al Game Winner against Toronto from MLMarchitect on Vimeo.
Al Jefferson hits the game winner Against the Toronto Raptors.
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Here's a fun little bit about Utah Jazz point guard Devin Harris you may not have known: He's the official Car Editor for the NBA's official publication, HOOP Magazine.
In an undated interview/ feature (that appears to be from 2009) Harris talks about his Maserati, Ferrari, how as a rookie he had to tend to veteran Michael Finley's luxury cars, how he had a hard time picking up how to turn left while learning to drive, and why he buys his cars in red, white, and black. 
He also tells how he wanted his first car to be an Eagle Talon, but had to settle for a Pontiac Sunfire that he promptly wrecked into a tree.
It may seem a little prescient and creepy to Jazz fans that the feature is called "Driven," but hey, maybe it was meant to be?
The article includes a video where Harris reviews a Volkswagon Touareg. Maybe we can get him to do one for the new Chrysler mini-van here in Utah? Pony up, LHM Chrysler-Dodge.
HOOP Magazine, Devin Harris, Driven
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With the Utah Jazz's playoff hopes circling the drain Big Al Jefferson has stepped up his game big time.
In the fourth quarter and overtime versus the Sacramento Kings he put up 12 points, a rebound, a block, and a steal as well as the go-ahead points and a slam dunk dagger to seal the victory and put the Jazz back on track to stay in the hunt for the postseason and keep Utah undefeated in four overtime games this season.
Jefferson has been big in fourth quarters + overtime for the Jazz of late putting up, over the last five games:
10.2 points and 2.6 rebounds on 68% shooting from the floor.
To put his Herculean fourth quarter efforts into perspective, if he had these same numbers over the course of his usual minutes in a game he'd be averaging about 34 points and 9 rebounds per-game.
For the month of February Big Al put up 55% FG shooting and shade under 24 points plus a solid 10.0 rebounds per-game. His February + two games in March stats works out to an outstanding per-game average of:
54% FG
23.4 points
9.25 rebounds
1.9 assists
3.0 blocks
1.9 steals
0.95 turnovers
The Utah Jazz have been in dire need of a closer. Al Jefferson has made every effort to be that man and carry the franchise into the postseason.
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